Lock.



No. 779,173. PATENTED JAN. 3, 1905.

B. F. MERRITT.

LOCK. APPLICATION IILEDMAY 2B. 1904.

UNITED STATES Patented January 3, 1905.

PATENT OEEicE.

LOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 779,173, dated January3, 1905. i Application filed May Z8, 1904. Serial No. 210,225. v

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN F. MERRITT, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of East Orange, in the county of Essex and State of NewJersey, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Locks, ofwhich the following is a specification.

The primary object of this invention is to provide means whereby aperson locked in a building and having no key wherewith to unlock a doormay nevertheless quickly and readily open the door from the inside, andso escape.

Another object is to provide a construction by means of which acover-plate forming part of the means whereby the primary object of theinvention is attained may be replaced.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists of features of construction and combinations ofdevices hereinafter described,and more particularly pointed out in theappended claims.

One form of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings,forming part of this specification, in which Figure 1 isa frontelevation, partly broken away, of a door and lock in which the inventionis embodied. Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view. I Fig. 3 is avertical sectional view; and Fig. 4 is a front View, partlydiagrammatic, of a modified arrangement.

The reference-letter adesignates adoor carrying a lock 6, having theusual beveled working bolt 0, operated by the usual knob cl, and alocking-bolt e, which is operated by a suitable key.

The reference f marks a striker-plate or striker which is attached in aremovable manner, as usual, to the jamb or another door g and with whichthe bolt 0 coacts, as usual.

The letter it marks a strike which is movable into and out of positionfor preventing by coaction with the bolt 6 the opening of the door. Inthe instance shown in the drawings the door is assumed to be a swingingdoor, so the strike it is made to move into and out of the path of thebolt 0 when the door swings and the said bolt is out in lockingposition;

but the strike it may be made to move into and out of the path of alocking-bolt constructed otherwise and also moving otherwise into pin a,which is fixed tothe said plate, and

thereby to lock the strike 71. in its working position. For conveniencein working the catch on has ahandle 0 rigidly connected therewith, and aspring 19, connected with said handle' and with a pin g on the strikeit, draws the handle over against a stop r, also on the strike 71 Onpushing the handle 0 to the right the catch m is freed from the pin a,and when the catch strikes against the pin 9 the strike is moved to theright until its face next the door a passes beyond the end of, the bolt0, as indicated by the lines, when the door may be opened,notwithstanding the fact that the bolt e is shot for locking. 4

In order to protect the catch and strike it against molestation, a boxIt is provided for inclosing the catch and for wholly covering the slotZ, said box having a glass front M, which is held in place by lugs o andsprings w, and also having ears of lugs m, which pass through slots inthe plate It. A pin or screw y,'whose head is covered by the removablestrike f, engages with one of the lugs to hold the box in place, thoselugs e at the side of the box opposite to that having the lug wherewithpin y engages being bent back, as shown, so as to hold that side of thebox in place.

A person without a key locked in a building having its doors providedwith the abovedescribed device and-compelled to get out, as by a fire,can easily break the glass it and then draw back the strike it, and sounlock the door.

In Fig. 4 is shown a solenoid a, an electric circuit 2 including saidsolenoid, and a circuitbreaker 3, together with a soft-iron plunger 4:and a link 5 for connecting said plunger with the catch m, whereby thedevice may be operated from any part of the building by one or anotherof a series of circuit-breakers arranged as in call-bells, as well as atthe spot where the strike it is located. A flat spring 32*, fast at oneend to the catch or its handle and bearing at its other end against thepin 1', draws the handle against the pin when the solenoid isdeenergized. When the solenoid is energized, the core t is drawn inwardof the solenoid, and the handle 0 is drawn over against the pin whoselocation on the strike it may be changed, as shown, and then the strikeit and catch m are drawn along until the bolt 6 is freed. The endwisemotion of the strike it may be limited by suitable stops, as will beunderstood.

What is claimed is 1.. In a lock for doors, the combination with thelocking-bolt, of a striker coacting therewith-and'movable into and outof position for such coaction, a catch on said strike, a fixed .4 thestrike in working position, a removable box inclosing said catch, and areplaceable glass front to said box.

3. In a lock for doors, the combination with the locking-bolt, of astrike movable into and out of position for coaction with said bolt inlooking the door, acatch for holding said strike in working position,and a breakable protec tion for said catch.

4:. In a lock for doors, the combination with the locking-bolt, of astrike movable into and out of position for coaction with said bolt inlooking the door, a catch for holding said strike in working position, aremovable box inclosing said catch, and a glass front to said box.

5. In a lock for doors, the combination with the locking-bolt, of astrike movable into and out of position for coaction with said bolt inlooking the door, a catch for holding said strike in working position, aglass-fronted box inclosing said catch and provided with lugs atopposite sides thereof, a plate provided with openings for'said lugs andfixed to the part carrying said strike, a removable fixed strike, and apin under the fixed strike and engaging with one of said lugs to holdthe box in place.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York,this 9th day of April, A. D. 1904.

BENJAMIN F. MERRITT.

Witnesses:

FRANK RYALL, R. W. BARKLEY.

